


A Question of Faith

by EveryOtherUsernameWasTaken6604



Category: South Park, Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Aborted Undertale Genocide Run, Alternate Universe, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Bad Flirting, Badass Kyle Broflovski, Butters as Chara, Cynicism, Determination (Undertale), Dinner, Flirting, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Hotels, Immortal Kenny McCormick, Kenny McCormick-centric, Kenny as Frisk, Killed Kenny McCormick, Kyle as Sans, Liane as Toriel, M/M, Mr. Slave as Mettaton, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Red as Undyne, Restaurants, Soulless Undertale Pacifist Route, Stan as Papyrus, Trauma, Tweek as Alphys
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-26
Updated: 2020-12-26
Packaged: 2021-03-11 04:14:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,262
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28328817
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EveryOtherUsernameWasTaken6604/pseuds/EveryOtherUsernameWasTaken6604
Summary: Kenny has basically been through hell and back to reach the CORE. Thankfully, a hotel lies in his way, granting him a moment of respite- and the monster boy, Kyle, is waiting for him there.A simple dinner invitation. That's all it was. And yet, after what he's seen, Kenny knows to expect more from Kyle...and their conversation soon turns to a much darker place.
Relationships: Kyle Broflovski/Kenny McCormick
Kudos: 12





	A Question of Faith

**Author's Note:**

> This work was done for a K2 Secret Santa. My Secret Santa asked for a K2 fic that took place in an Undertale AU created by ferni-spart, which can be found here:
> 
> https://www.instagram.com/p/B5t-TvmpcXs/  
> https://www.instagram.com/p/B5bv4HiJiNX/  
> https://www.instagram.com/p/B6_zgkXpwqA/
> 
> I hope you enjoy it!

Kenny felt a sudden gust of warm air that blew back his messy hair. It wasn’t like the atmosphere that filled Hotland, clingy and oppressive—no, it was artificial, but weirdly comforting. He’d taken off his orange hoodie long ago, and his white muscle shirt was long since stuck to his torso from all the sweat. Still, he walked on towards the warmth…

A red neon light soon came into view. It read “HOTEL”; each letter lit up one by one before flashing on and off a few times and then starting over. Above it was a picture of Mr. Slave smiling brightly, surrounded by magically powered light bulbs. 

A few monsters wearing merch mulled about outside, though Kenny’s attention was immediately drawn to a bright orange and green outfit and a mess of frizzy red hair: Kyle, leaning against the wall. He glanced up at Kenny, smiled, and took a step forward. 

“Hey there, friend,” he greeted the blond human. “I heard you’re going to the CORE.”

Kenny nodded, then raised his hand for a high five. “Yep, yep! Why, you wanna come with?”

“No, no, but…” Kyle reciprocated the high five. “I  _ would  _ like to treat you to dinner. There’s a restaurant in the hotel we can go to. I...might struggle to think of something to talk about, haha...but if any topics come up, I can just blurt it out.”

Kenny gave a thumbs-up and replied, “Sounds good to me!”

“Then let’s go down this alley here. I know a shortcut.”

Kenny followed Kyle to the left down a small alleyway. The two stepped into the darkness, and after a bit more fumbling around, they found themselves seated at a table in a warmly lit, and  _ actually  _ warm, restaurant. Kenny decided to slip his hoodie back on over his head, and picked up the menu.

“Hm, what’s this special?” Kyle asked with a squint. “Steak garnished with...Echo Flowers?”

“This kind of fancy stuff isn’t usually my cup of tea, but it can’t hurt. And, ooh, glitter pie! Sounds good,” said Kenny. 

“Mm.”

Kenny felt his stomach growl...Wow, he was hungrier than he thought. He swiftly waved a waiter over and ordered for both of them. He flashed Kyle a winning grin and got a little chuckle in return. 

Tongue hanging out of his mouth like a dog, Kenny gripped his fork in his right hand and his knife in his left, holding them both upright. It did feel a little weird holding a knife again, but this one wasn’t a weapon, so he guessed it was probably okay. 

Their food arrived just minutes later. Kenny happily dug in, shoving a hunk of meat into his mouth. Kyle took a few small, idle bites, but didn’t seem anywhere near as hungry as Kenny. 

Seemingly out of nowhere, the monster spoke up:

“Our reports showed a massive anomaly in the time-space continuum. Timelines jumping left and right, stopping and starting...until eventually, everything ends.”

Kenny jolted upright. He’d heard those words before, he was certain of it. Somewhere between the impalings, the pleas that he not come back, the frenetic swings spurred on by another’s hand.

“What...do ya mean, ‘timelines’?” he hesitantly asked. 

“Somehow I think there’s no need for me to answer, but I will anyway. I like the sound of my own voice.” Kyle flashed him a wry smile and continued, “Think of it like another world or universe. Another area on the space-time continuum in which  _ something  _ is slightly different from ours.” He moved his arms in an arc so his outstretched hands traced a circle in the air. “For example, there could be one where everything is the same, except this restaurant serves donuts instead of pie.”

“Spider donuts? ‘Cause those are  _ good,  _ dude,” Kenny said, rubbing his belly. 

“Sure. Or, there could be one where something is wildly different—maybe, for example, a timeline where I don’t exist.”

“Aw, I don’t wanna even  _ think  _ about a timeline like that!” gasped Kenny in feigned horror. “Never seein’ your pretty face again sounds like torture!”

Kyle smirked. “Sorry, it can be a tough topic. I understand making jokes to lighten the mood; I enjoy a good joke sometimes too. I do actually have a diagram if that helps?”

Kenny nodded, and Kyle reached into his coat and pulled out a small pad and pencil.

“I drew it up recently with different timelines color-coded.”

“So you can, like, measure ‘em?”

Kyle nodded. “I can’t actually see what happens in a timeline other than this one, but I know what general path they take. Like this one here.” He laid the notepad out on the table and pointed to a mostly straight yellow line with some zigzags. “It takes a few turns back and forth but generally stays consistent, indicating that the anomaly from the reports wasn’t as active. Some have lots of jumps near the beginning but taper off later, some are the other way around....”

“Whaddaya mean, ‘the beginning’?” Sweat dripped down poor Kenny’s brow, and he quickly stuffed a flower into his mouth to distract himself. It was pleasantly cool and refreshing, mixing well with the spice of the meat. “Like, of all time?”

“No, no!” Kyle snorted and shook his head. “These measurements began shortly before you entered Snowdin Forest. I assume that’s also what happened in the other timelines, though obviously I have no way of knowing for sure…” 

“So, what, you think  _ I’m  _ the reason for this...this space-time fuckery or whatever?”

“I’m not accusing you of anything.” Kyle shrugged. “Still, the coincidence is noteworthy. Anyway, our own timeline is this green one, with a comparably average number of jumps...it’s the median of the data, funnily enough. Other than that, not much of note…”

“Well, wait a sec.” Kenny raised his hand to indicate Kyle should stop. “You said the timelines are all fucked up, jumpin’ around, till ‘everything ends’. What happens when a timeline ends?”

“Well, I would assume that timeline—every point in space and moment in time on it—ceases to exist. Whatever had, or might have, happened, whatever beings were. or might have been, born into existence...gone.” Kyle snapped his fingers. “Like  _ that. _ ”

“So everything disappears? Past, future, all of it?”

“That’s the most likely explanation, yes. It’ll probably happen to this timeline someday, too.”

“And you’re just content with that?”

Kyle shook his head and laughed a little. “Content? Oh, no. It terrifies me. I’m actually quite terrified all the time, honestly,” he said, eerily calm. “Knowing what I do may ultimately all be erased...still, maybe the me in some other timeline will manage to break free of that.”

Kenny gently reached a hand across the table to lay it on Kyle’s, as a gesture of comfort. No ulterior motive or flirtiness here. “How do you deal with that?” he whispered. 

Kyle didn’t react to the sudden touch of Kenny’s large, calloused hand on his. He merely hummed, looked up, and rubbed his chin, deep in thought. “I focus on the little things. A successfully solved puzzle or crossword, Stan’s smile when the guard dogs let him pet them, the smell of a pie wafting through the air...how warm your hand feels against mine right now. Stuff like that.”

He returned his gaze to Kenny, violet eyes glinting, and smiled faintly. Kenny’s cheeks flushed red, but he responded with a big grin. 

“I’m, heh, glad I could help,” said Kenny. “I hate seein’ cute guys like you all sad.”

Kyle sighed. “You do know how to ruin the mood, don’t you? But, uh, thanks. It’s appreciated.”

“Sorry, man, flirting’s just what I do.”

“I can tell. Though, I just remembered there is  _ one  _ thing I forgot to mention…” Kyle added. “You see, near the entrance to Snowdin Forest, there’s this HUGE locked door.” He formed a large rectangle with his arms, as if demonstrating, but then returned his hand to the center of the table, where Kenny gently grasped it again. “I’m a sentry there, but as you know, I don’t care for human hunting. And this door...well, it’s a perfect place to sit alone and muse. Posing riddles, asking questions to the trees—getting it all out there, I mean.” 

Kenny nodded. “Sounds pretty peaceful.” 

Of course, he knew what that door was. The huge purple monument bearing the Delta Rune, the exit to the Ruins that he had stepped through into the cold of Snowdin. 

“Mhm. So, one day, I ask a riddle out loud, not expecting any response but the wind. ‘The person who makes it has no need of it, and the person who buys it has no use for it. The person who uses it can neither see nor feel it. What is it?’”

Kenny made a small “Hmm” noise, then shrugged. “I’m stumped.”

Kyle pointed with one finger and smirked slyly. “There’s the rub. The answer, of course, is a coffin. I knew that, but what I didn’t expect was to hear a voice  _ through  _ the door, saying the answer back to me. It was a very lilting, high-pitched voice. Sweet, I guess is the word. And the voice continues.” He did a somewhat poor imitation, his voice cracking a bit. “‘A man looks at a painting in a museum and says, “Brothers and sisters I have none, but this man’s father is my father’s son.” Who’s in the painting?’”

“The guy’s son,” replied Kenny.

She’d told him that riddle herself, laughed softly when he couldn’t figure it out, and told him the answer. Liane, the kind woman he’d had to leave alone in the Ruins to escape the Underground and return home. He still tried to call her sometimes, but there was never any reply. Bad reception, maybe?

“Precisely. Needless to say, this woman was, haha...extremely good. I answer correctly, and she laughs and claps, like it’s the first talk she’s had with someone else in years. We keep asking each other riddles and philosophical questions for hours. Eventually, I had to leave. Stan gets kind of sad without his dog plushie, which I always carry with me.” Kyle smiled, pointing to his coat, where it was presumably held. “But she told me to come by again, and I did...then I did again, and again. It’s a thing we do now, asking each other questions and musings through the door. It’s nice.”

Kyle paused and pursed his lips. “One day, though, I noticed she wasn’t answering as sincerely as usual, like she was just saying what I wanted to hear and then going quiet. I asked her if something was wrong. Then she told me something strange.”

The monster boy started to do his impression of Liane again. “‘If a human ever comes through this door...could you please, please promise me something? Watch over that sweet little angel for me, and protect them, won’t you?’”

Kenny softly gasped. She had asked that of Kyle? Her kindness really did know no bounds. But did that mean…?

“Now, I dislike making promises. And this woman…” Kyle laughed once more. How many times would that soft little “Ahaha” escape his lips? “I don’t even know her name. But...someone who sincerely likes to ask questions and learn like that...has an integrity you can’t say ‘no’ to.”

Another pause. Kenny squeezed Kyle’s hand a bit tighter, and dug his other hand into the pocket of his hoodie. 

“There’s one more thing I wanted to bring up,” Kyle said. He pointed to the timeline diagram again, to a bright red jagged line. “This timeline here. As you can see, there are a few jumps here and there, but fairly long periods of time pass without any at all. But then…”

His slender finger traced along the paper, to a bunch of small zigzags: the line went out a short distance, then moved down slightly and returned to a certain point on the x-axis. Kyle had had to devote half a page just to this one timeline due to how many returns there were.

“A massive amount of jumps. Eventually, it manages to get past that point and move on, after which there’s another long interval with very few jumps.” Kyle’s finger moved along the line, before tapping at another point which contained even  _ more  _ zigzags. “Then, an  _ unprecedented  _ amount. The timeline keeps moving forward in time very slightly, then jumping back to this point here, again and again. It makes varying amounts of progress, some attempts having mere seconds of difference between each other, until  _ finally  _ it stops, moves forward as normal…” 

They were both silent as they saw what came next after that short burst of progress.

“Then ends,” said Kyle softly. 

“Wow,” was all Kenny could think to say.

He remembered that. A battle against Red, whose determination carried her far beyond the limits of normal monstrous power. Then a journey through Hotland and the CORE—a  _ massacre _ , as that grinning blond face with the scar over its eye had spurred him on, giggled and sang, danced over the dust of countless monsters and the broken parts of the robotic Mr. Slave. Then, the citadel where Kyle’s soft face had twisted with rage, where Kenny had been judged for his every action and every EXP he’d earned. 

_ If we’re really friends...don’t come back. _

But he had. He’d managed to get Kyle on the ropes. The boy had become weak and worn down. One more slice and it would all be over.

_ Your power awakened me from death. My “human soul”. My “determination”. They were not mine, but YOURS. Together, we eradicated the enemy and became strong,  _ that little voice had gleefully said. 

But he refused. 

Kenny had thrown down his knife, taken Kyle into his arms. His face illuminated with a smile as ever, he swore he would give up and make things right. For Kyle.

“Hm. That expression...you’re crying.” 

“Huh?” Kenny looked up. He gently touched his cheek and felt a warm wetness. “Sorry, I…” He sighed. 

“What’s wrong?” asked Kyle, tilting his head. “If you don’t want to talk about this, I can—”

“It was me. I’m the anomaly. I’m the reason for all those jumps and resets.”

Kyle leaned back and rested his cheek on his fist. “Yes, that’s what I thought.” 

“I did terrible things. Somebody else, something evil...took hold of my soul and manipulated me. Eventually, I realized what I’d done, so I ended that timeline and tried again with a new one. This one.” 

“So you’re trying to atone.”

“I know that doesn’t mean anything, but…” Kenny fell silent, unsure what should come next. He eventually said, voice quiet but full of resolve, “Are you gonna kill me?”

Kyle leaned forward again. “No, I’m not going to do anything like that. I dislike violence; though I’m not much good at befriending people either, it’s better than the alternative.”

Kenny nodded. “Yeah...sorry, I’m just surprised. I thought you’d be mad.”

“I can’t fault you for trying to be better. I gave up on that a long time ago; in spite of whatever it was you did that was so heinous, you’re probably a much better person than I am.”

Kyle leaned back towards Kenny and let his thumb rest atop the human’s. It seemed like another long spiel was coming, so Kenny leaned in as well.

“You’re going to the CORE next, right? Your journey’s almost over. You must really want to go home. I understand your position, but...maybe sometimes it’s better to take what’s given to you.” 

Kenny snickered despite the seriousness of their conversation. Kyle rolled his eyes. 

“Anyhow…” The hand gestures resumed, long and oddly erratic. “Down here you’ve already got food, drink, friends…”

Kenny’s hazel eyes widened and filled with warmth. “You think I should stay? You really mean that? I do wanna go home, but you’re right, I love the monsters I’ve met here.”

“I do. I’m just wondering, honestly. Is what you have to do...really worth it?”

The two were quiet for a moment. 

“I think it is, yeah,” Kenny quietly said. 

“Then I’m with you. I’ll admit, though, it’s probably a good thing that woman asked that promise of me.” 

Kenny looked askance at Kyle. “Whaddaya mean?”

Kyle looked down and sighed. “Don't you understand? Kenny, my friend...do you know what would have happened if she hadn’t said anything?”

Kenny shook his head, and Kyle smirked at him. 

His violet eyes appeared to shift to something dark, then darker, and yet darker still. Twisting his wrist to splay his fingers out and dramatically take hold of the air, he whispered, in an all-too-familiar tone for poor Kenny, “ _ You’d be dead where you stand. _ ” 

Kenny visibly tensed up and audibly gulped. It was nothing he hadn’t seen or heard from Kyle before, but even the memory of those razor-sharp vines piercing through his body made it ache. But maybe his reaction  _ was _ kinda funny, since it was causing Kyle to laugh again. This time, though, it was a bit longer and less reserved, more genuine. 

“I’m glad that didn’t happen, though,” Kyle continued. “As I said, I don’t like violence, and I actually  _ do  _ like your company quite a lot. And, of course, your hand’s very warm.” 

_ He keeps sayin’ that,  _ thought Kenny.  _ Does he really like it that much? _

He wasn’t complaining, though. His hand  _ was  _ warm, and it felt good to rest it atop Kyle’s comparatively smaller one. He already felt his sweat and tears evaporating away. 

“That, and...well. Haven’t I done a great job protecting you? You haven’t died even a single time.”

No, that was wrong...Kenny tried not to let any apprehension show on his face, but the memory of all the Tsunderbebes and Snowclydes who’d caught him off guard and managed to shatter his soul made him shudder. 

“Hey now, what’s with that expression?” Kyle said. Another smirk and a hint of that taunting tone, not as intense as before but still noticeable, appeared when he asked, “Am I wrong?”

Kenny knew that Kyle knew, but didn’t bring it up. Instead, he smiled wide and replied, “C’mon, Kyle, you think any monster in the Underground would attack me? I have ‘em blushing and asking for my number before they can say ‘ribbit’.”

“I’m glad to hear it,” Kyle said. “In that case, keep going. Onward to the CORE, through New Home, and out of this wretched place. I’ll be by your side every step of the way. And so, I believe, will Stan and Red and Dr. Tweek. Like it or not, you’re our hope now. The Angel of Prophecy. I know I can trust you to make the right decision when the time comes.”

“Thank you,” Kenny said, and meant it more than he’d ever meant something before. 

Their plates were promptly cleaned out; all the conversation had made them hungry. There was a short disagreement as both insisted on paying, but they eventually split the bill. Finally, Kyle squeezed Kenny’s hand and walked off; Kenny managed to get in a lascivious stare at Kyle walking away, and let out a playful wolf-whistle, clearly making no effort to hide his approval of the monster boy’s body. Though the ginger blushed and glared over his shoulder, the softness in his eyes remained, all trace of that rage Kenny had seen in the judgment hall gone. 

Kyle’s belief in him filled Kenny with determination, and he carried on.


End file.
